Stringmaster by FangzofFuzzy

Strengths

• High effective attack range
• Can use melee modifiers at range like Skull Basher and Battle Fury
• Damage over time that scales with total attack damage
• Remove and get another carry

Weaknesses

• Puppet can be attacked and returned early
• No mobility
• No sustain
• No defensive passives or buffs
• Little reliable crowd control

He is strongest against melee enemies since his debuffs, Dance and Tangle, are easier to maintain on them. His high effective attack range does let him reach far back ranged heroes, but he must be careful not to step too far since it will teleport Puppet back to him. Subjugate is also easier to hit the closer they are if they have any disjoints. Melee heroes do have less attack range, even with the minor bonus, so there is that to consider.

Spells

Remember that their spells level up together. Dance/Sway, Stringwork/Tangle, Hidden Blades/Sharp Edge, and even Subjugation/Puppeteer. Skill priority is mostly going to be E first for flat damage and clear. Then, either Q for positioning cooldown or W for crowd control and attack speed. Subjugate should be leveled up every time since it also improves his innate.

Items

Since Puppet is considered melee, it can trigger modifiers:
Battle Fury for easier farming and creating unique cleave directions
Skull Basher has higher stun chance than regular ranged heroes

Due to the safety of his effective attack range, he can consider the following items:
Mask of Madness gives much needed lifesteal
Divine Rapier scales the bleed

Standard carry items:
Desolator for more armor reduction
Daedalus may not scale the bleed, but Stringwork attack speed can make it trigger more often

Talents

The left side of his talents is focused on damage while the right side is focused on making life easier for the player. At level 10, Stringwork cooldown is straightforward but works well with the Pull the Strings facet. At level 15, you choose between more armor reduction that can stack, or extra dash range. At level 20, you can start spamming Hidden Blades for more consistent damage but the extra health on Puppet means you can focus on using its mobility spells aggressively instead of using them just to deploy it again. Level 25 is the choice between raw damage that can help take down buildings and better teamfighting ultimate.

Facets

Your choice of facets can boil down to playstyle, or how much disables your team has. Not enough? Pull the Strings has you covered, but the technically shorter range means it's better for peeling. Just remember that there is a 0.5 second grace period before it teleports back if you leave the leash distance. If your team has enough disables to help you, Set the Stage is the riskier option with higher payoff.